The Guardian-1st book=The Ringbearer
by RavenShire
Summary: An elven maiden is summoned to help guide the Fellowship; and falls for Frodo Baggins.
1. Of The Past

*I amar prestar aen-The world is changed. Hon mathon ne nen -I feel it in the water. Hon mathon ne chae -I feel it in the earth. A han nostron ned wilith -I smell it in the air.   
  
Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Rings of Power. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven were given to the Dwarves, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the power and the will to rule each race.   
But they were all of them deceived, for deep in the land of Mordor, the Dark Lord Sauron forged another ring, a master ring, and into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate every living thing. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring, but there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves*~ marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone.  
Isildur's father Elendil had been slain by the Dark Lord, Isildur ran to his side; Sauron approached there was no escape for Isildur. In this last moment he raised his Father's sword, Sauron broke it however Isildur used the broken shard of his father's sword to cut Sauron's fingers and the Ring.  
  
Isildur had a chance to destroy the Ring but men's hearts are easily corrupted, the Ring of Power had a will of its own; it betrayed Isildur to his death and the Ring was lost for two and a half thousand years until the Ring ensnared another bearer; the creature of the Misty Mountains named Gollum. For five hundred years the Ring poisoned his mind and gave him an unnatural long life until the Ring abandoned Gollum; but something happened that the Ring did not intend, it was picked up by the most unlikely creature: A hobbit, Bilbo Baggins of The Shire.*  
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*This was taken from the Lord Of The Rings transcript; some lines have been altered.*  
*~ Of Men it included: Elendil and his son Isildur, of Elves it included: Elrond, and Esgiraloth (Jyntaralyn's father).   
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From this came the history:  
'The Rings for the Elven-Kings under the sky,  
Seven for the Dwarf-Lords in their halls of stone,  
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,  
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne  
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.  
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,  
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them  
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.'  
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A pathway from the stairs led towards a large stone on the right the small path curved beside it, fallen leaves were scattered across the lush, dark green grass, the moon lit a few spots on the ground here and there, but did not overwhelm the place with it's pale glow.  
The path curved slightly to the left leading to a large enclosed garden where the moon shone in radiance, covering the grass with light.  
In the far corner there was a silver stream that flowed from the fountain on the hill. Near the silver stream stood a basin of silver, wide and shallow it was, filled with water probably from the silver stream behind it; beside the basin stood a slender silver ewer.  
  
In the basin the silver water was still. The moon and the stars were visible in the clear water before it started to swirl, changing into a clear picture of a young man peering into the exact same basin, his face was horror stricken as he continued to peer into the mirror. The water rippled changing the image to a very young child running around with two companions somewhere that some people of Middle-earth have never been lucky enough to see or experience. The image shifted into the same young man who looked into the mirror, only he was lying on a bed of silver sheets, a stone angel stood above him as he rested.  
Once again the image changed, this time something unexpected was viewed: the same young man fell onto the floor of some hotel, a ring flew from his hand up into the air, he reached out to grab it; instead of falling in his palm in landed right on his finger, and he disappeared.  
  
The images after that became more disturbing than that of the man disappearing. Thousands of Orcs were fighting with two men, the ring whispered something in a strange tongue that scarcely any in Middle-earth could understand, then a dark cat like eye appeared flame surrounded the pupil, almost engulfing it. The same words that were heard before were repeated; the Eye grew closer, laughing maliciously, louder and louder the laughter became until it seemed to be heard as if it were laughing right beside her.  
  
Quickly sitting up in her bed, the Elven maiden tried to slow her breathing down, beads of sweat dotted her forehead; the same nightmare had plagued her since the night she peered into the Mirror of Galadriel. She had seen the exact same images, heard the exact same laughing, every few months the nightmare haunted her until she finally knew the meaning of the Mirror, and the dream. 


	2. Bilbo's Birthday

The sun shone brilliantly down on Middle-earth, she put a smile on everyone's faces whilst they worked outside or inside, and the trees greatly appreciated her warmth, as did the animals.  
The great black horse from Rivendell, EveningStar, stood proudly on the lush green grass staring down at his reflection in the Bywater pool. His black mane flowed down in front of his sturdy face and down his neck, his raven black tail swished behind him teasingly hitting his Master.  
He lowered his head towards the clear blue pool to take a long drink, since they left Bree they hadn't stopped to take a drink; his Master was in some sort of rush to get to The Shire; and here they were.  
His Master knelt down beside the pool, glancing in to check her reflection. She wasn't wearing her normal silver gown, she was decked out in an ordinary light blue dress, the top part that closely resembled a girdle-not quite, was a light white and tan color with two stitches down in between her breasts. Her reddish brown hair was pulled back behind her shoulders hanging loosely down her back stopping at the mid-back. A warm smile crossed her face as she stood up and twirled about before EveningStar, he snorted in agreement. He barely recognized her himself!  
  
The two slowly strolled into Hobbiton admiring the beautiful scenery that they passed: the watermill, the small hills, open spaces of green grass, the small hobbit-holes-as the Elves called them, otherwise known as smials to the hobbits. They passed the Proudfoot smial just before the hill towards Bag End came into view.   
A young hobbit stood in front of the Bag End window, trimming the hedges; she assumed that he was Samwise Gamgee. He turned to look at who was riding up to Bag End, hoping that it wasn't those Sackville Bagginses for Mr. Bilbo's sake. He turned to see a young maiden he did not know smile at him. "Mornin!" He greeted cheerfully, thankful it was not a S.B. She returned his merry greeting.  
  
Up the hill they rode, stopping before the gate that read: 'No Admittance Except on Party Business'. His Master laughed heartily as she dismounted off him and opened the gate, letting it shut behind her; she walked up the pathway towards the door and knocked.  
  
"Please Bilbo, let me here of you wondrous adventures again!" There was a shuffle of feet on the floor before the door opened revealing Bilbo with a small plate in his hands; a piece of cake sat on the plate, and some he was munching on.  
  
"Good heavens!" He exclaimed with a look of surprise on his face, he stared at the girl standing in the doorway before he shook away his surprise and let her inside.  
As she entered she noted all the little details of the smial that were still the same as she had remembered it last. The small, but long corridor straight ahead, the living room to the left and further back the small yet cozy kitchen; if you were to walk straight up the long corridor that faced the door and turned to the right, you would end up in Bilbo's bedroom, to the left was Frodo's.  
  
"What brings you to Bag End?" He asked leading her into the small kitchen; she sat down at the table, her back facing the wall. A small window was to her left, the stove was facing her, and some food was laid out on the table being prepared to be stored away.  
  
"Why, Bilbo. I thought you would know!" She exclaimed with a look of surprise on her face, "Don't tell me that your age has already caught up to you! I came to wish you and young Frodo a Happy Birthday! I bring tidings from Elrond." She looked at Bilbo who was busily pouring water into a kettle, still munching on some of the cake. "He welcomes you to Rivendell whenever you wish to return." Jyntaralyn watched Bilbo reach up to get some saucers and teacups, he placed them on the table turning around again to face the kettle on the stove.  
  
"I will take that offer into consideration. Will you stay for my party?" Bilbo asked politely. Jyntaralyn could not forget how hobbits were always so polite to their visitors and family; the only exception for Bilbo and his family was the Sackville Bagginses, she could understand why that was so.   
  
When the kettle whistled loudly, Bilbo took it off the stove and poured the tea into her cup first before his own, she sat watching him wondering how a hobbit of one hundred and eleven could look as if he were still ninety.  
His hair barely showed any signs of aging, it was still the same lustrous, brown curly hair; his face was still glowing with youth and showed he was one who possessed knowledge and loved an adventure. Those hobbits who thought Bilbo strange were very wrong to judge him so, Bilbo was a very respectable and kind man who had taken his nephew Frodo into his smial when Frodo had lost his parents at the vulnerable age of twelve; Bilbo always considered his family members and friends, he even was kind to the Elves and Dwarves he encountered on his long walks in and out of the Shire.  
  
Jyntaralyn sipped the tea gratefully, and thirstily; she had not drunken anything since she had left Rivendell save that of water.  
Bilbo took a sip of his tea and took another bite of his cake, he offered some to Jyntaralyn and she accepted a small slice gratefully; finally she had another meal other than the vast amount of lembas she had from Lothlórien.  
  
"Frodo has been up and about lately, I do not know where he is at this moment." Bilbo had a small smile forming on his lips, he could recall how Frodo, as a young lad, would always want to join Bilbo on his long walks, and listen to the stories of Bilbo's adventures.  
  
"I fancy he's sitting in a field reading a book, chewing on straw whilst a horse approaches." She sipped her tea again, peeking over the rim of the cup at Bilbo. He nodded, it wasn't necessarily in agreement, for he did not know for certain whether she was right or not; he just had to believe her.   
  
  
Loud explosions echoed in the Shire, silver rockets rose in the air and descended over the lake zooming over it until they at last exploded in a fury of different colors. The hobbits that sat and danced around the open space stared in awe of the fireworks Gandalf created.  
Bilbo sat on a bench with a massive bunch of little hobbits sitting around him in a circle, eyes wide open and mouths too, listening to Bilbo tell his tale of his adventures of running into the three trolls.  
  
"So there I was, at the mercy of three monstrous trolls, and they were arguing about how to cook us! Whether it be turned on a spit, or if they should sit on us one by one and squash us into jelly! They spent so much time arguing the whithertos and whyfors that the first light of the sun crept up over the tops of the trees and turned them all to stone!" The children jumped at the last bit of news of the trolls, he laughed and continued his story.  
  
Gandalf walked over to his cart and pulled out some more fireworks, he smiled at them with a gleam in his eye; he left his cart to go light the fireworks when Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took came out from their hiding spot. Merry lifted Pippin into the cart to grab some fireworks, Pippin searched for one and pulled it out; Merry shook his head.  
"Not that one! The big one, the big one!" He exclaimed. Pippin threw the other one back in to the massive pile and pulled out the largest one with a dragonhead at the top. Pippin jumped down and ran into a tent waiting for Merry, Merry stood outside the tent eagerly bouncing around; he looked around and took a bite of his apple before running in the tent after Pippin.  
  
"There!" Pippin exclaimed. Merry looked at his cousin with his eyes wide open.  
"You're supposed to put it in the ground first!" He shouted pushing the firecracker towards Pippin.  
"It is in the ground!" Pippin cried out pushing the firecracker back to Merry.  
"Outside!" Merry pushed the firecracker back at Pippin; he took it and pushed it back to Merry.  
"This was your idea!" The firework exploded in their grasp taking the roof of the tent with it. Merry and Pippin lay flat on the ground covered in soot; the firework flew straight up into the air and became a dragon's head, it turned around, sprouted wings and flew in low over the frightened hobbits.  
The dragon then flew over the lake dissolving into a spectacular shower of sparks; Merry and Pippin watched the results of the dragon with smiles on their faces.  
"That was good!" Pippin nodded toward Merry who then agreed.  
"Let's get another one!" Suddenly Gandalf appeared behind them, grabbing their pointy ears pulling them up onto their feet.  
Gandalf put Merry and Pippin to work on cleaning dishes while a large birthday cake with one hundred and eleven candles was brought to the center table. Hobbits chanted "Speech, Speech!" as Bilbo stood on a table and cleared his throat to begin his well thought out speech.  
  
"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles and Proudfoots!" He began with a correction from a Proudfoot sitting on the bench, feet propped up on the table. Bilbo brushed aside the correction and continued his speech.  
"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday! Alas, eleventy one years is much too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits! I don't know half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve!" The hobbits sat mumbling to one another trying to figure out whether his statement was a compliment or not.  
Frodo looked at his Uncle Bilbo with a smile on his face, he was seated beside Sam and Rosie.   
"I have things to do. I've put this off for far too long." Bilbo resumed almost in a whisper. He fumbled in his pocket for the ring; he played around with it for a bit. Frodo's smile slowly faded, his expression turned to one of concern and confusion.  
" I regret to announce this is the end! I'm going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell! Goodbye." Bilbo slipped on the ring and disappeared.   
Gasps were head from the crowd of confused and astonished hobbits. Frodo stared at the spot Bilbo had stood with confusion and surprise written all over his face. What had Bilbo done? Why did he leave? Frodo wondered silently not just to himself, the young maiden in the tree heard his thoughts.  
  
Jyntaralyn peered out from behind the leaves of the tree looking at Frodo's face; she couldn't believe that Bilbo had managed to disappear into thin air! She was just as astonished and confused as Frodo and the other hobbits, but she could only assume that Gandalf knew what had been going on. Gandalf rose from his seat and walked towards Bag End leaving the confused hobbits to chatter.   
  
Curiosity filled Jyntaralyn; she silently jumped down from the tree knowing well that the hobbits wouldn't notice her given that they were all busy talking about Bilbo and how peculiar he had become since his adventure with the Dwarves and Gandalf. She ran towards Bag End climbing through the window unseen by Bilbo or Gandalf.  
She noticed Bilbo took something gold out from his pocket and played with it as Gandalf started to lecture him about a ring and his behavior. Gandalf mentioned something about the ancient magic rings, which brought the conclusion that the ring Bilbo possessed was no ordinary ring, it was The Ring of Power.  
She quickly jumped out with window before Bilbo entered to gather his things that he would need to be taking with him to wherever it was he was planning on going, Jyntaralyn only assumed that he was going to Rivendell where Elrond gladly welcomed him back.  
  
Bilbo raised his voice at Gandalf telling him that it was his fault he came across the Ring, he assumed Gandalf wanted the Ring for himself. Jyntaralyn could feel the cold air rush through the window swirling in a dark cloud above Gandalf causing him to grow taller and appear mightier. She peeked over the edge of the window with fear in her heart that Bilbo would leave in a mad huff, she sucked in her breath when Bilbo looked at Gandalf, his eyes wide with terror, he whimpered and ran towards Gandalf embracing him in a hug. Jyntaralyn let out her breath quietly watching Gandalf return the hug; Bilbo walked towards the door Gandalf stopped him, mentioning that the Ring was still in his pocket. Bilbo laughed uneasily and took the Ring out, he held it in the palm of his hand slightly tipping his hand to let the Ring fall; he hesitated for a moment then let the Ring fall with a thud to the floor; he scurried out the door and paused.  
  
"I've thought of an ending for my book: 'and he lived happily ever after, to the end of his days." Jyntaralyn's face lit up with happiness, the ending was an appropriate ending for Bilbo's book of adventures; she hoped that he would finish it in Rivendell with all the peace and quiet and beautiful scenery around him. Bilbo and Gandalf exchanged good-byes before Bilbo walked off singing his favorite walking song.  
  
Jyntaralyn hopped back through the window, she stood in the archway watching Gandalf lean over to pick up the Ring, a bright light flashed before her eyes revealing fire surrounding a catlike pupil. She stepped back as if someone had nearly crashed into her. She looked at the Ring lying on the floor, Gandalf stood up straight inspecting the Ring from a distance.   
The Eye flamed furiously about, whispering something to her; a tight feeling started to well up inside her chest like she was being held underwater or someone was strangling the breath out of her.  
She leaned over with her right hand placed on her chest, gasping for breath. She closed her eyes but the Eye only appeared to gain strength that way, if she left her eyes open the pain lessened, but she could still see the Eye.  
Soon Jyntaralyn's face drained white, if the Eye didn't disappear she feared that she would be killed, if Gandalf wasn't aware of what was happening he wouldn't be able to help before she… the Eye appeared to draw nearer to her; she tried gasping for more air making wheezing sounds; nearly enough air was getting into her lungs to sustain her!  
She calmed herself down trying to think of what to do, she tried closing her eyes again but the icy grip that held her grew stronger until she re-opened her eyes.  
  
Gandalf stood before her, his arms under her armpits he raised her up in his arms and set her down on the bench. The Eye disappeared and her breathing came natural again.  
  
* I saw an Eye! What is going on? *Jyntaralyn asked through telepathy, she had not the strength to use her voice at the moment.  
  
"You saw the Eye of Sauron, child." He replied with a bit of hesitation evident in his voice.  
  
"Sauron!" Jyntaralyn spoke, her voice sounded very quiet and far away. She couldn't believe that she saw Sauron's eye, he had been very powerful long ago, all that changed after Isuldir claimed the Ring for himself.  
  
Gandalf briefly told Jyntaralyn about the Ring and Sauron as he sat near the fireplace, he smoked his pipe while Jyntaralyn stood with her back to Gandalf looking out the window.  
"Bilbo!" Jyntaralyn's keen elvish ears caught Frodo's faint voice; she lowered her head for a moment trying to picture where Frodo was at the moment. He was running up the hill towards Bag End already, with that Jyntaralyn nodded at Gandalf and hid.  
  
Gandalf spoke to Frodo barely explaining anything to him; all he knew was that Gandalf needed to get out of Bag End to research the history of the Ring. He headed towards the door Frodo following behind him.  
"But you've only just arrived! I don't understand!" He said stopping as Gandalf turned around to face him, he was hunched over so he wouldn't bang his head on the ceiling as he did the other day when he visited Bilbo.  
"Neither do I. Keep it secret. Keep it safe." Were Gandalf's last words before he fled from Bag End on his horse riding towards the White City; he paused to look at the mountains, fire was just beyond them in Barad-Dûr. 


	3. Dark Shadows

Gandalf was leaving to answer his questions leaving Jyntaralyn on a Quest; he advised her to stay hidden from the hobbits only to appear if it was absolutely necessary.  
For a few nights she slept on the hill that overlook The Shire with EveningStar, she kept an eye on Frodo to ensure that he was safe from the dangers that lurked ahead. Those nights left her to often wonder about the Mirror of Galadriel, the face that had appeared to her when she was only twelve years old was that of Frodo's; only she could not imagine why it had been.  
  
When Gandalf returned, he told Jyntaralyn everything that she needed to know, but not of what he feared for the future; he told Jyntaralyn that he had to get to Bag End to advise Frodo about the Ring of Power and send him on his Quest.  
At the mention of Quest an unidentified emotion ran through her body, she grew tense as if something in the back of her mind knew what lay ahead.  
She followed Gandalf towards Bag End before she hid in the trees beside the kitchen window where they would await Frodo's return; no sooner after their arrival had Frodo walked into Bag End with a smile on his face. She listened closely to what Gandalf told Frodo, it was no different than what he had told he. She noticed the leaves rustling in front of her, a young hobbit head popped up from the bushes leaning towards the window trying to hear what was going on. She recognized the hobbit to be the young one she had seen as she approached Bag End, he had been clipping the hedges, and Sam Gamgee he was.  
As she listened and watched Sam Gamgee straining to hear, she could feel Evil approaching, now possibly on the brink of entering Hobbiton! She could only hope that Gandalf knew that it was drawing ever nearer as he continued to talk to Frodo.  
  
Quickly she ran from Bag End towards the hill where EveningStar awaited for her, all her belongings were already packed before she left in case something like this would have happened. Jyntaralyn wished that she could do something to keep the Evil from drawing nearer to Bag End but she knew she could not risk herself, as she did not know what she would be facing. She mounted EveningStar and he rode down the hill towards Bag End in a silent gallop.  
  
The first glow from the light of day appeared in the horizon as Gandalf led Frodo and a very worried Sam Gamgee; slowly EveningStar followed behind, unnoticed. Gandalf stopped the hobbits just outside of Hobbiton away from the road.   
  
"Never put it on! The servants of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power. Remember, the Ring is trying to get back to its master. It wants to be found." Gandalf advised Frodo and Samwise before he mounted his horse.  
Once again Gandalf sped off leaving Frodo behind, Gandalf's destination was unclear to Jyntaralyn, his thoughts she could barely read; all she knew was that she had to watch Frodo and Sam to ensure that they arrived in Bree safely where Gandalf would lead them to Rivendell.  
  
The two hobbits started to continue their way towards the outskirts of The Shire; Jyntaralyn hopped off EveningStar and led her behind the hobbits on foot. With the speed they were walking she figured that they would arrive near the Old Forest in a few, if not, more days. Poor Sam stopped before they reached the Three Forthing Stone road, Frodo led him on reminding him of a quote that his Uncle Bilbo had always said: "It's a dangerous thing, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to."  
  
A few days later the two hobbits found themselves wandering around Farmer Maggot's cornfield, the maiden waited below the little cliff of a hill behind the trees and off the path. She could see the tops of the cornstalks moving as Sam was telling Frodo what Gandalf had told him when out popped Merry and Pippin. Sam pulled Pippin off of Frodo and Merry handed Sam an armful of vegetables as Merry, Frodo, and Pippin ran through the cornfield; the top of Farmer Maggot's straw hat could be seen and his dogs heard barking furiously. Poor Samwise stood there dumbstruck for a moment before dropping the vegetables and running after the other three.  
  
"I don't know what he's so upset about, it's only a few carrots." Merry called out from behind Frodo.  
"And some cabbages. And the three bags of potatoes we lifted last week. And the mushrooms the week before that." Pippin added.  
  
Jyntaralyn nearly burst out laughing at Pippin's last remark, however she remembered how important it was for her to keep herself hidden from them unless necessary. She placed her elegant hand over her soft lips as she saw Pippin stop just inches before the little cliff of the hill, Frodo ran into him and Sam pulled them back before Pippin lost his balance- that was until Merry turned his head to check on Farmer Maggot and they all tumbled down the hill. Jyntaralyn shook her head and raised her left eyebrow; she looked at the four hobbits piled on top of one another, a very comical and rare scene. Pippin's face was just inches away from a pile of manure.  
  
"Oh, that was a close one!" He observed. Beside him, Merry groaned. "I think I've broken something." He reached behind him and pulled out a broken carrot. Jyntaralyn could barely restrain her laughter any longer but managed to giggle quietly until she suddenly felt as if she was being watched. She looked in every direction possible before returning her gaze to the hobbits; they were in plain sight right on the road! She watched Frodo stand and look out at the road in front of him with a bit of concern on his face, suddenly the road twisted and seemed to grow larger. *Frodo, get off the road! * Jyntaralyn sent to him telepathically. His eyes grew wide with fear.  
  
"Get off the road, quick!" He yelled to his companions as they were busily picking mushrooms. They all ran towards Jyntaralyn's hiding spot but she quickly climbed the tree without making a sound, the hobbits passed her spot and jumped over a large uplifted root of a tree; there they hid as the Black Rider came forth. He sniffed around on his black horse not finding what he was seeking, until he smelt something familiar-the ring! Jyntaralyn closed her eyes forcing herself to see what she thought Samwise would be viewing through his own eyes. *Don't let Frodo put on the ring, Sam! * Sam looked over at Frodo who was just about to slip the ring on his finger, he slapped Frodo's chest with his right hand and shook his head, Frodo put the ring away, while Pippin threw the bag of mushrooms away and the Black Rider mounted his horse and sped off.  
  
Night came quickly covering the sky with a dark blanket covered with tiny stars; the moon was full but hid behind the dark clouds that swarmed together- a sure sign of rain later on in the night, Jyntaralyn could feel it in her bones, and smell it in the air. She still hid behind the trees watching, waiting; the hobbits whispered to one another before a dark figure on a horse appeared on the hill just as the moon was uncovered, they all ducked down again. Jyntaralyn's eyes darted to a barely visible outline of another figure hidden behind a tree.  
  
"…Sam and I must get to Bree." She heard Frodo telling Merry. Merry nodded while looking at Frodo who stood with his hands on a tree. "Right." An idea suddenly hit him. "Bucklebury Ferry, follow me." Merry emerged from his hiding spot and the other followed him before Frodo emerged, a Black Rider suddenly jumped out from behind a tree cutting Frodo off from his path to freedom. Without much though, Jyntaralyn ran over to her black horse EveningStar, mounted him and pulled the Elven cloak over her head as EveningStar trotted off. She could see Frodo running towards the Ferry with the Black Rider trailing behind nearly close enough to reach out and grab him, the ferry was pulling away from the dock but Frodo did not stop running; he leapt into the air crashing into Pippin and Sam. Four other Wraiths emerged from the darkness and Jyntaralyn was one of them.  
She led the Wraiths out of the Shire and on the path that would eventually end and open up to lush green grass, some trees scattered about, and Bree.   
  
The road to Bree was just a few miles away; slowly EveningStar began to lag behind the other Wraith's powerful horses. The leader of the Black Riders remained in the lead with the other three following closely behind. The road to Bree was now coming up to Jyntaralyn's right, EveningStar silently turned and galloped at full speed towards the town as night began to fall upon Middle-Earth.  
Jyntaralyn arrived at Bree shortly after the hobbits had settled themselves down at a table, she walked into the Prancing Pony and into the pub passing the hobbits unnoticed, she made her way over to another hooded person in the far corner smoking a pipe. The smoke was visible rising up towards the ceiling, the red light of the fire glowing in his eyes.  
She sat at a table across from him with her back to the hobbits, the hooded man's gaze shifted over to meet her own. He squinted his eyes trying to search her face for it was covered with her Elven hood, no matter how hard he tried to see her face he could not.  
  
"May I ask why you are staring at me?" He asked with an edge to his voice. Jyntaralyn raised her left eyebrow; she almost forgot that she was concealing her face from him.  
* It's me, Strider. * She sent to him with a nod, he moved backward as backing from a blow. He nodded in surprise and recognition.  
"Gandalf sent you then?" He asked almost in a whisper so that only she would hear. She nodded her head slowly, she could not risk taking off her hood in fear that if Sam looked over he might recognize her.  
  
Suddenly, she heard a whispering that sent a chill throughout her body. It kept repeating Baggins, Baggins. She slowly turned her body so that she could see Frodo and Sam out of the corner of her eye without making it too obvious that she was looking at them. Frodo had the Ring out, he was playing with it in his hands with his eyes closed, sweat started to form beads around his forehead. A soft voice spoke out loud enough for even Strider to hear.  
  
"Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins-Frodo Baggins, over there. He's my second cousin, once removed on his Mother's side." Frodo ran towards Pippin, he clutched the ring in his hand; as he grabbed Pippin with his free hand he tripped over Pippin's feet.  
"Steady on!" Pippin cried out watching Frodo fall to the ground, the ring flew out of his hands and up into the air. In fear of losing the ring Frodo reached out with his right hand hoping to catch the ring, indeed he did, but the ring slipped onto his finger causing him to disappear. Gaps were heard throughout the crowd, the same thing had happened at Bilbo's party! How peculiar Jyntaralyn thought to herself, she rose out of her seat and started towards the place that Frodo had disappeared, Strider walked by her side.  
Although she could not see Frodo, she knew exactly what he saw. Everything was white, the people were shadows that could scarcely be seen, everything seemed to be smeared across the way smoke blows through the wind. An eye suddenly appeared to him, it had a catlike pupil, and flames were wreathed around it; Jyntaralyn felt that icy grip on her chest again, her breath began to come out raggedly. She closed her eyes but saw the Black Riders' horses check and turn around towards Bree… 


End file.
